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International Baccalaureate Program Inspires Students To Expand Their Limits

By Ray Huard

High school student Joseph DelVal discovered he had a knack for writing music. “I played music a lot, but I never really thought about composing,” said Joseph, a senior at Rancho Buena Vista High School.

Classmate Alyssa Maloney created a one-woman theatrical performance of a scene from Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” done in the style of German playwright Bertolt Brecht.

And a group of elementary school students from Vista Academy of Visual & Performing Arts (VAPA) had the audience clapping, cheering and swaying as they did a dance routine combining music from bygone eras, from the Charleston of the 1920’s to a disco number straight out of the movie “Saturday Night Fever.”

Their performances were all part of a recent presentation outlining the Vista Unified School District’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, which stresses learning with a global perspective and encourages students to explore subjects beyond what they might otherwise choose.

“It really pushed me out of my comfort zone,” said Joseph, who said that the IB higher level music course he’s taking helped him develop a new talent in composing music. “When I started doing it, I found I was really able to communicate things that I wasn’t otherwise able to communicate,” Joseph said. “I felt the IB program was really worth it.”

Founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1968, the IB program works with about 4,585 schools worldwide, according to the IB website, www.ib.org.

Vista Unified offers the IB program in grades 11 and 12 at Rancho Buena Vista High School, Vista High School; in grades six through nine at Vista Magnet Middle School, and at elementary schools Casita Center for Science, Technology & Math and VAPA.

“We have a district that’s fortunate enough to have a K (kindergarten) through 12 (12th grade) program of IB, which is pretty rare, said Tess Kim, a content resource teacher who organized the IB Community Night with fellow teacher Carolyn Thom at Rancho Buena Vista to acquaint parents and students with the IB program.

“Any child that cares about the world, who wants to have an impact on the world – this is certainly great for them,” Kim said.

The IB program is rigorous, but meant for any student who wants to challenge themselves, Kim said.

Among other things, the IB program requires students to take a second language and emphasizes critical thinking over memorization. “We really want our students to think about what they want to learn about and go research it,” said VAPA Assistant Principal Benjie Walker. “We give them that opportunity to really personalize their learning.”

Rigorous doesn’t necessarily mean more homework, several students said during panel discussions on the IB program. They have to take responsibility for completing several projects and the work can pile up if they procrastinate or don’t budget their time well.

A big advantage of the program is that it better prepares students for college, and gives them an edge getting in and staying in, said Michael Pink, IB coordinator at Vista High School. “They are overwhelmingly more likely to graduate with a four-year degree than the average student walking onto campus,” Pink said.

Another enticing aspect of the high school IB Diploma program is that students are often able to apply IB coursework for college credit. In some instances students have earned two years’ worth of college credit upon graduation from high school in an IB Diploma program.

VAPA librarian Philomena Romo said that all three of her children went through the IB program and it made them more confident as adults.

An integral part of the IB program is making presentations in front of classmates and others, which Romo said has made her children comfortable with public speaking. “Because of this program, they view life differently, they’re more big picture – aware and caring,” Romo said. “They’re not afraid to ask questions.”

Posted by: Dave Palmer, District Associate, Vista Unified School District